Petunia plant named ‘Sunpetu 101’

ABSTRACT

Disclosed herein is a new and distinct variety of  Petunia  plant having vigorous and semi-trailing habit, abundant flowering, the whole bush remaining in bloom for a considerable period of time, and single, medium sized and vivid purple-white bicolored flowers.

Botanical designation: Petunia×hybrida.

Cultivar denomination: ‘Sunpetu 101’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of Petunia plant, which is hereinafter referred to as ‘Sunpetu 101’.

A Petunia is a very popular plant that is used in flower bedding and potting in the summer season.

This purpose of this invention is to obtain a new Petunia cultivar with vigorous and semi-trailing habit, abundant flowering, the whole bush remaining in bloom for a considerable period of time, and single, medium sized and vivid purple-white bicolored flowers.

The new Petunia plant originated from cross-pollination of the female parent ‘P23F1-8’ and the male parent ‘MP22-188-2’. The female parent ‘P23F1-8’ (unpatented) used in the crossing of ‘Sunpetu 101’ is a strain of the applicant's breeding lines (i.e., proprietary Petunia selection), having medium plant diameter, and the male parent ‘MP22-188-2’ (unpatented) used in the crossing of ‘Sunpetu 101’ is a strain of the applicant's breeding lines (i.e., proprietary Petunia selection), having purple petals. The cross-pollination was conducted in Sep. 10, 2010 at Yame-gun, Fukuoka, Japan.

In March 2011, the seedlings obtained by the crossing were planted in a field. In May 2011, some seedlings were selected in view of growth habit, flower size and color thereof. Shortly thereafter stem tip culturing was carried out, and then the propagation was started.

In November 2012, the cultivation of the seedlings was repeated. The botanical characteristics of that plant were then examined, using similar varieties ‘Daiichi-MP22-193-1’ and ‘Daiichi-MP22-21-2’ for comparison. As a result, it was concluded that this Petunia plant is distinguishable from any other variety, whose existence is known, and is uniform and stable in its characteristics.

The new variety of Petunia plant was then named ‘Sunpetu 101’.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This new variety is unlike any Petunia commercially available as evidenced by the following unique combinations of characteristics.

-   -   1. Vigorous and semi-trailing habit.     -   2. Abundant flowering, the whole bush remaining in bloom for a         considerable period of time.     -   3. Single, medium sized and vivid purple-white bicolored         flowers.

The new variety ‘Sunpetu 101’ differs from the similar variety ‘Daiichi-MP22-193-1’, which was applied for Japanese plant variety protection (the application number: 27366; the application date: 2012 Sep. 3; the registration number 23231; the registration date: 2014 Mar. 10), in the following points.

-   -   1. The plant height of ‘Sunpetu 101’ is medium. That of         ‘Daiichi-MP22-193-1’ is low.     -   2. The main color of surface of corolla lobe of ‘Sunpetu 101’ is         vivid purple (RHS N81A) and white (RHS NN155C). That of         ‘MP22-193-1’ is PURPLE-VIOLET (RHS N81).

The new variety ‘Sunpetu 101’ differs from the similar variety ‘Daiichi-MP22-21-2’, which was applied for Japanese plant variety protection (the application number: 26284; the application date: 2011 Sep. 8; the registration number 22221; the registration date: 2013 Jan. 28), in the following points.

-   -   1. The plant height of ‘Sunpetu 101’ is medium. That of         ‘Daiichi-MP22-21-2’ is somewhat low.     -   2. The flower diameter of ‘Sunpetu 101’ is medium (about 4.8         cm). That of ‘Daiichi-MP22-21-2’ is somewhat small.     -   3. The main color of surface of corolla lobe of ‘Sunpetu 101’ is         vivid purple (RHS N81A) and white (RHS NN155C). That of         ‘Daiichi-MP22-21-2’ is RED-PURPLE (RHS N74).

This new variety of Petunia plant ‘Sunpetu 101’ was asexually reproduced by the use of cuttings in Higashiomi, Shiga, Japan, and homogeneity and stability thereof were confirmed. A cutting used to reproduce the new variety typically has one or more leaves and a stem. The instant plant retains its distinctive characteristics and produces true to type in successive generations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The depicted plants had been reproduced by the use of cuttings and were photographed during October 2013 while growing outdoors in wall pots with about 24 cm of container size at an age of approximately 5 months.

FIG. 1 is a photograph of a typical plant of the new variety of Petunia plant ‘Sunpetu 101’ while growing in a pot.

FIG. 2 is a photograph of a close view of flowers of the new variety of Petunia plant ‘Sunpetu 101’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

In October 2013, the cultivation of the seedlings was repeated at Higashiomi, Shiga, Japan. The average day temperature was about 23° C., and the average night temperature was about 13° C. The plants were grown under natural sunlight. The number of days to flowering (response time) was 2-3 weeks. The quality was maintained for about 150 days. The plants had temperature resistance to about −5° C. (the lowest temperature) and about 35° C. (the highest temperature). Further, the plants had good tolerance to pests and pathogens.

For the parentage information: The female parent ‘P23F1-8’ (unpatented) used in the crossing of ‘Sunpetu 101’ is a strain of the applicant's breeding lines (i.e., proprietary selection of Petunia×hybrida), having medium plant diameter, and the male parent ‘MP22-188-2’ (unpatented) used in the crossing of ‘Sunpetu 101’ is a strain of the applicant's breeding lines (i.e., proprietary selection of Petunia×hybrida), having purple petals.

For the propagation information: approximate soil and/or air temperature was around 15-20° C.; the new cultivar was propagated by cutting; number of days to initiate roots was about 7 days; number of days to produce a rooted young plant was about 21 days; free-root branching; root color was white; and root texture was fibrous.

The botanical characteristics of the new and distinct variety of Petunia plant named ‘Sunpetu 101’ at an age of approximately 5 months are shown in the following TABLE 1. In the following description, the color-coding is in accordance with the Horticultural Colour Chart of The Royal Horticultural Society, London, England (R.H.S. Colour Chart The 5th edition 2007).

TABLE 1 PLANT VARIETY DESCRIPTION APPLICATION VARIETY CHARACTERISTIC Sunpetu 101 ANNUAL, BIENNIAL or PERENNIAL? Grown as annual TYPE OF PLANT: i.e., TREE, SHRUB, Potted plant SUBSHRUB, VINE, CUT FLOWER, POTTED PLANT APPROPRIATE CONTAINERS +/or Ideal for pots, hanging CROPPING SYSTEM baskets or planters, and is good for use as a ground cover. GROWTH HABIT Semi-trailing PLANT HEIGHT About 25.0, Medium cm PLANT DIAMETER OR AREA OF About 60.0 cm SPREAD PLANT VIGOR Vigorous BRANCHING HABIT Freely branching BASAL BRANCHING? Present PINCHING REQUIRED? Required NUMBER OF LATERAL BRANCHES Many LATERAL BRANCH LENGTH About 24.3 mm LATERAL BRANCH DIAMETER About 1.4 mm INTERNODE LENGTH OF A STEM About 17.3 mm STEM ASPECT Upright to outward STEM COLOR (and bark color, if Near 143B RHS applicable) STEM PUBESCENCE? Pubescent OTHER PLANT/STEM — CHARACTERISTICS LEAF ARRANGEMENT Alternate COMPOUND OR SIMPLE? Simple QUANTITY OF LEAVES PER LATERAL Many BRANCH LEAF SHAPE Elliptic LEAF TIP Acute LEAF BASE Cuneate LEAF LENGTH About 41.3 mm LEAF WIDTH About 14.8 mm LEAF THICKNESS About 0.3 mm LEAF PUBESCENCE? WHICH SIDE? Pubescent, both sides LEAF MARGIN Entire VENATION PATTERN Pinnate LEAF COLOR, YOUNG, UPPER SIDE Near 137B RHS LEAF COLOR, YOUNG, UNDER SIDE Near 137D RHS LEAF COLOR, MATURE, UPPER SIDE Near 137A RHS LEAF COLOR, MATURE, UNDER SIDE Near 137C RHS VENATION COLOR, UPPER SIDE Near 144C RHS 145A (Yellow Green VENATION COLOR, UNDER SIDE Near 144D RHS 145A (Yellow Green PETIOLE LENGTH About 3.3 mm PETIOLE DIAMETER About 1.8 mm PETIOLE TEXTURE Pubescent, dense, long PETIOLE COLOR Near 144C RHS STIPULES, TENDRILS, THORNS, — SPINES OR PRICKLES? IF SO, GIVE COLOR AND SIZE OTHER FOLIAGE CHARACTERISTICS — FLOWER ARRANGEMENT Borne in upper leaf axils INFLORESCENCE TYPE OR FORM (if Flower solitary applicable) FLOWER TYPE or FORM Single FLOWERING HABIT Continuously QUANTITY OF FLOWERS PER About 2 to 4 LATERAL STEM QUANTITY OF FLOWERS PER PLANT About 64 NATURAL FLOWERING SEASON About Spring to late Autumn TIME TO FLOWER OR RESPONSE About 2-3 weeks TIME FRAGRANCE Absent FLOWER BUD LENGTH About 32.2 mm FLOWER BUD DIAMETER About 6.7 mm FLOWER BUD SHAPE Cylindrical with 5 lines, Tip: twisted FLOWER BUD COLOR Near 149D, Tip: RHS N82A-N82B FLOWER ASPECT; i.e., UPRIGHT, Upright to outward OUTWARD, DROOPING, etc. FLOWER SHAPE Salverform FLOWER DIAMETER About 47.5 mm FLOWER DEPTH (HEIGHT) About 40.7 mm FLOWER LONGEVITY ON PLANT About 7-10 days PERSISTENT OR SELF-CLEANING? Self-cleaning PETAL TEXTURE, UPPER SURFACE Smooth PETAL TEXTURE, LOWER SURFACE Smooth TUBE TEXTURE, Pubescent PETAL ARRANGEMENT Single whorl PETAL NUMBER 5 PETALS FUSED? Fused PETAL SHAPE Spatulate PETAL MARGIN Entire, weakly undulated PETAL TIP Cuspidate PETAL BASE Fused PETAL LENGTH About 20.3 mm PETAL WIDTH About 20.9 mm PETAL COLOR, WHEN OPENING, Near Bicolor, 86A and UPPER SIDE RHS NN155C PETAL COLOR, WHEN OPENING, Near Bicolor, N81B and LOWER SIDE RHS NN155C PETAL COLOR, FULLY OPENED, Near Bicolor, N81A and UPPER SIDE RHS NN155C PETAL COLOR, FULLY OPENED, Near Bicolor, 83C and LOWER SIDE RHS NN155C PETAL COLOR, FADING TO — THROAT DIAMETER About 9.7 mm TUBE DIAMETER(PROXIMAL END) About 2.6 mm TUBE LENGTH About 26.5 mm THROAT COLOR(inside) Near NN155A RHS 145B (Yellow Green) TUBE COLOR(outside) Near NN155A RHS SEPAL ARRANGEMENT Single whorl NUMBER OF SEPALS 5 SEPAL SHAPE Narrow elliptic SEPAL MARGIN Entire SEPAL TIP Obtuse SEPAL BASE Fused SEPAL LENGTH About 15.9 mm SEPAL WIDTH About 2.4 mm SEPAL COLOR, IMMATURE, UPPER Near 137B RHS SIDE SEPAL COLOR, IMMATURE, UNDER Near 137D RHS SIDE SEPAL COLOR, MATURE, UPPER Near 137B RHS SIDE SEPAL COLOR, MATURE, UNDER Near 137D RHS SIDE CALYX SHAPE Tubular, star shape CALYX LENGTH About 11.7 mm CALYX DIAMETER About 21.8 mm PEDUNCLE LENGTH About 21.2 mm PEDUNCLE DIAMETER About 1.0 mm PEDUNCLE ANGLE Upright to outward PEDUNCLE TEXTURE Pubescent PEDUNCLE COLOR Near 144A RHS STAMEN NUMBER 5 STAMEN LENGTH About 16.2-21.1 mm ANTHER SHAPE Ellipsoidal ANTHER SIZE About 2.6 × 1.6 mm ANTHER COLOR Near 156D RHS AMOUNT OF POLLEN Moderate POLLEN COLOR Near 157A RHS PISTIL NUMBER 1 PISTIL LENGTH About 19.6 mm STIGMA SHAPE Transversely ellipsoidal STIGMA COLOR Near 90B RHS STYLE COLOR Near 144D RHS OVARY COLOR Near 144B RHS OTHER FLOWER CHARACTERISTICS — QUANTITY OF SEEDS Seed production has not been observed. ROOT STRUCTURES such as BULBS, Fibrous root CORMS or RHIZOMES? LOW TEMPERATURE TOLERANCE Good HIGH TEMPERATURE TOLERANCE Good DISEASE RESISTANCE AND/OR — SUSCEPTIBILITY RESISTANCE OF PESTS AND/OR — SUSCEPTIBILITY

This new variety of Petunia plant having the above botanical characteristics is suitable for flower bedding and potting, particularly in hanging pots or planters. 

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct variety of Petunia plant named ‘Sunpetu 101’, substantially as herein illustrated and described. 